#FRANCE: Spring in bloom and worry for the tea fleet. @RealConstable @BatchelorShow Occitanie.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Claude Monet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

#UK: The poisonous language in Parliament. @RealConstable, Occitanie @BatchelorShow

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Parliament 1880 G.W. Wilson & Co., photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com: Germany’s Latest Challenge To Its Economy: Boosting Military Spending

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Finally, Germany is going to hit its military spending target. But it’s doing so amid a brutal recession that isn’t expected to end any time soon.

In short, it means that the country will be cash-strapped, experts say. Read more here.

The “red fighter aircraft” _Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, 

with his red-painted three-decker. 

Vitold Muratov scan, digitalisation., 

CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com: Is Britain’s Political Chaos Set To Cause An Economic Slump?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

By looking at UK newspaper headlines, you might think the country is in political chaos. There may be some truth to that claim, but it’s less uncertain than it has been for years.

It matters because uncertainty around government policy tends to slow growth. Read more here.

See page for author, OGL-ON, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com: Shocker: Car Parking In Scotland’s Capital To Cost Over Half Yearly Pay

By SIMON CONSTABLE

As if things weren’t bad enough for Scotland’s capital city already, Edinburgh City Council is imposing a new diabolic rule. At least, it is diabolical for the city’s already ailing economy. Read more here.

Seattle Municipal Archives , CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes.com: Get Ready For A Stockmarket Roller Coaster As U.S. Dollar Swings

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The U.S. dollar has a lot to answer for when it comes to U.S. stock market returns. So a forecast that promises a significant dollar rally followed by a dive should be enough to turn the stomachs of some investors. Read more here.

 

forbes.com: Red Sea Attacks On Shipping Brings Another Pinch To Britain - A Tea Shortage

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The widening war in the Middle East is delivering an economic pinch to the UK, a country already in a technical recession. Worse still, there’s a shortage of the country’s favorite drink. Read more here.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons